History in Manuscript: Letters and Documents from a Distinguished Collection
History in Manuscript: Letters and Documents from a Distinguished Collection
George Jacques Danton | Document signed, ending the employment of Swiss Regiments in the service of France, 1792
Lot Closed
April 13, 01:27 PM GMT
Estimate
3,000 - 5,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
George Jacques Danton
Document signed
an official copy of the Decree of the National Assembly, ending the employment of Swiss Regiments in the service of France, only 10 days after the slaughter of Louis XVI's Swiss Guard at the Tuileries Palace, 4 pages, Paris, 20 August 1792, thick pale green paper, impression of official seal in red ink
A DECREE MARKING A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN THE REVOLUTION.
On the 10th August 1792, the Tuileries Palace was stormed, and many of the hundreds of Swiss Guards that fought in defence of King Louis were massacred. The day following, Danton was appointed minister of justice, and commenced an intensive period of new legislative decisions. This document officially ended the employment of Swiss Guards, which had been a staple of the French monarchy since 1480. Following the Revolution, Swiss Guards were reinstituted by Napoleon, but after the second storming of the Tuileries in 1830, they were not used again.